TUCO congratulates Ola

LUTALO MASIMBA, president of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO), has extended his sincerest congratulations to Olatunji “Ola” Yearwood on his recent performance as a contestant in the widely acclaimed X-Factor talent show in the United Kingdom, on behalf of the executive, members and staff of the organisation.

He said in a release, “For us at TUCO, Olatunji has been a success story since he captured the Groovy Soca title in 2015 at the International Soca Monarch competition with the song Ola. His success in that international competition marked the note of transition for a young artiste from the National Junior Calypso experience to adulthood.

“We at TUCO have taken note of his moves…not only on stage, but from the youth competitions arena, to frontline singer with then Roy Cape and the All Stars and other bands.”

He said TUCO had noted Ola’s preference for “musical productions which can be easily distinguished in the midst of the usual Carnival offerings, which tend to sound the same,” and that Bodyline could “easily stand out in any menu of music on the world stage.” The same could be said for the tracks Bang Bang, Oh Yay and Wining Good.

More than the music, though, Masimba said Ola’s stage presence and theatrical ability brought a distinctive feel to his stage performance.

He said TUCO, like other calypso and soca music lovers, had known for quite some time that Yearwood is a professional artiste, and certainly were not waiting for Simon Cowell and the other judges of X-Factor to validate Ola’s the power.

“We are certain Ola himself knows this.

“What is important though, is that in spite of his relative success in the Carnival diaspora, Olatunji saw it fit to secure new paths forward on his journey to promote the music he has dedicated his life to, calypso and soca from the Caribbean, TT to be exact. In doing so, he would have gambled with the gloss and the integrity of his personal and professional reputation.” Masimba said Yearwood was steadfast and strong as he stared into the lights of the world and stated his mission.

“Indeed we are truly proud of his performance and his achievement is way beyond X-Factor,” said Masimba, adding his wish for Yearwood’s success to redound to a greater recognition of his artistic worth and open the gates for other young entertainers in calypso and soca who may be as ambitions and adventurous. He concluded that the United Kingdom and Europe will continue to present great opportunities for local entertainers through talent shows, music trade shows, clubs and music festivals. From the Edinburgh Festival to Womex, from the X-Factor to MIDEM, he said, the possibilities were endless. But they were all beyond the Carnival boundary and located in relatively new cultural territory and homegrown stars have to be ready to make that sacrifice to make their own statement in the world of music.